A juryo-division wrestler on Monday pulled out of the ongoing Spring Grand Sumo Tournament a day after the revelation that he assaulted a lower-ranked wrestler, dragging the traditional Japanese sport into yet another scandal. (Kyodo)

The world's largest Muji store, slated to open in Osaka on Tuesday, will prominently feature pricey seafood, such as freshly caught sea bream and Japanese spiny lobster, part of a strategy aimed at promoting a high-quality image. (Nikkei)

More than two decades after Japan's Aum Shinrikyo cult plunged Tokyo into terror by releasing a nerve agent on rush-hour subway trains, its spinoffs continue to attract new followers. (Japan Today)

The Fisheries Agency plans to reduce next season's quota for small Pacific bluefin tuna that can be caught off Hokkaido and Kagoshima Prefecture effectively to zero, and greatly reduce the quotas for Iwate and Kochi prefectures, as these prefectures have significantly exceeded their quotas for this season. (the-japan-news.com)

Investigative sources with law enforcement revealed on Saturday that popular adult video (AV) actress Nozomi Aso has been arrested again on drug-related charges, reports the Sankei Sports. (tokyoreporter.com)

A group of men boarded the women-only car of the Chiyoda Line subway in Tokyo during the morning commute on Feb. 16 as a form of protest, saying that excluding men was a form of discrimination. (Japan Times)

Residents of Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, on Saturday offered flowers in remembrance of a 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who was murdered allegedly by a neighbor nearly one year ago. (Japan Today)

Barack Obama's office says the former US President will arrive in Japan on March 25. It will be Obama's first trip to the country since his presidency ended. (NHK)

Workers have replaced a lightning-damaged shachihoko roof ornament on a castle in Inuyama City, central Japan. (NHK)

Japan's Meteorological Agency announced on Saturday the official start of Tokyo's annual cherry blossom season. (NHK)

A blackmail letter has been sent to a restaurant owned by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife, Akie. (NHK)

American rocker and songwriter Bob Dylan will perform at the Fuji Rock Festival in July, his first appearance in Japan since receiving the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, the event's organizer said. (Kyodo)

Prices of school uniforms are on the rise in Japan, due to sharply climbing wool prices and changing fashion trends in neighboring China. (Nikkei)

YouTuber TkyoSam recently uploaded a video where he put his go-pro on an empty plate at Sushiro, a conveyor belt sushi chain restaurant. (soranews24.com)

The government on Friday announced a total ban on technical trainees from abroad carrying out work to decontaminate areas tainted with radioactive material. (Japan Times)

Prizewinning Japanese actress Rie Miyazawa and Go Morita, member of Japanese male idol group V6, announced Friday that they have married. (Japan Today)

Smartphone users in Japan may soon start enjoying a faster and easier shopping experience. The country's 3 major banks say they're going to join hands to standardize a single payment system using QR code. (NHK)

Japanese authorities have lowered volcanic alert levels for the 2 peaks of Mount Kusatsu-Shirane in Gunma Prefecture, more than 7 weeks after the volcano erupted. (NHK)

The Fair Trade Commission has raided the headquarters of Amazon Japan in Tokyo on suspicion of possible anti-trust violation. (NHK)

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for a 25-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a man to death with a dagger and injured his three children at their home in Osaka Prefecture in 2016. (Japan Times)

A survey of 36 major Kyoto city hotels showed that foreigners accounted for 40.5 percent of their total guests in 2017, the highest figure recorded since the survey began in 2014. (Japan Times)

Overseas investors were net sellers of Japanese equities for the ninth straight week through March 9 as a strong yen and U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies rattled markets. (Nikkei)

Japan will begin allowing commercial drones to deliver packages in remote areas this summer with a view to urban operation in a few years as labor-strapped companies look to take advantage of the technology. (Nikkei)

Police in Japan received a record-high number of inquiries and reports about stalking and domestic violence last year. (NHK)

A 31-year-old former medical student has been sentenced to seven years in prison for the attempted murder of a 41-year-old dentist at Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward last May. (Japan Today)